Facade
by vodkalust
Summary: Akatsuki have become desperate. Little time is left to capture the last jinchuuriki - Naruto. What will they resort to in order to finally lay their hands on him and is all as it seems? What do they want us to believe and what's the truth? ItachixSakura
1. Scar Tissue

_A/N - Hello and welcome to my first fanfic, dedicated to my favourite Naruto couple of Itachi and Sakura! This story really is a labour of love and I have spent so much time making sure to get it right. Recently I have gotten really into this pairing and read lots and lots of fanfics about them. There was perhaps about three authors who got it right in my eyes, Itachi is such a hard character to deal with and this is a crack pairing after all so writing a believable fanfic about them is difficult. I spent days really trying to understand the character of Itachi, I read all his appearances in the manga again trying to really get a feel for the way he speaks and acts. I have tried my absolute hardest to make this story something that wouldn't be something completely unfathomable in the world of Naruto and have spent a long time planning out the story. _

_This first chapter is a little slow, I just really wanted to give the reader a feel for the characters and their relationships and have tried not to stray too much from what is canon in Naruto. Give it a chance because I assure you action is coming! Sorry for this long intro I just felt it was necessary to say these things. Oh, this also contains spoilers of what happens in the manga so if you only watch the anime and don't want any spoilers read at your own peril!_

_I hope you enjoy and of course none of the Naruto characters belong to me unfortunately._

Scar Tissue

Sakura waited anxiously for her team mates, she'd been fetched by Shizune a short while ago after being told that the Hokage required to see her urgently. Upon arrival she had been told she'd be given details of the mission shortly, once the others arrived. This news had shocked Sakura slightly, it was unusual for regular teams to be called urgently for a mission. After all, if there _was_ an emergency it was the ANBU who were normally sent to deal with it. Sakura rubbed her eyes sleepily, she'd just completed a ten hour shift at the hospital and could feel it taking a toll on her, her chakra depleted by the long days work.

After amending her blurred vision to a reasonable extent she glanced at the Godaime, she looked tense and her face was frozen into a frown. As her apprentice, Sakura had a good idea of what the older woman was currently dealing with as the leader of Konoha and the stress it must be causing her shishou. The threat from Akatsuki was picking up and Tsunade had never been quite the same since the death of Jiraiya two years ago. Her master's weariness was visible even through her henge, her beautiful face looked worn and tired. She thought back to the first time she had seen Tsunade and her amazement at the unknown woman's beauty. Of course, most kunoichis tended to be fairly attractive, harnessing their powers of seduction to give them an edge in the harsh shinobi world. Tsunade however was something special, truly breathtaking, not to mention incredibly powerful. Revered as the most "beautiful and powerful of all women" and a pioneer in the shinobi world - after all, it was thanks to Tsunade that each squad now consisted of a medical nin. It made Sakura glow with pride each time someone told her she would one day surpass her teacher; both in beauty and skill. As an awkward, young teenager such a notion had seemed unfathomable but these days she seemed to hear it an awful lot.

She considered her decision to go to Tsunade for training as the best she'd ever made. She had been weak for so long, concerned with trivial things such as trying to look pretty and earn Sasuke's love. When her, Sasuke, and Naruto had first become Team Seven her weakness hadn't bothered her at all. In comparison to Naruto with his loud mouth and brash attitude she hadn't really looked all that bad at the time.

However, Naruto had improved exponentially in a very short time and it seemed almost with a blink of the eye he had left her in the dust. Her weakness first started to bother her during the second stage of the Chuunin exams in the Forest of Death. She had felt so... weak, helpless, completely and utterly _useless_. She felt as if all she was doing was watching her team mates backs as they progressed more and more, leaving her behind.

Despite this, she hadn't taken action to make herself stronger for quite a while after those fateful days in the forest. She had other things on her mind, mainly Sasuke. He had been cursed by that vile excuse for a man Orochimaru; and the effects it was having on the boy she loved were terrifying. She could feel her heart in her throat every time the black marks leaked from the seal, spreading across his body like a disease, encompassing him in evil. She knew that it clouded his mind, drawing on his darkest thoughts and it scared her.

When Sasuke had finally left the village, her heart had broken. She had never experienced anything like the pain she'd felt then, she was sure he'd wrenched her heart from her chest and crushed it in the palm of his hand. She'd begged and pleaded, but it had been to no avail. He left only providing her with a "thank you" before leaving her unconscious on a bench.

Naruto knew how broken Sakura was after Sasuke's abandonment, her love for the arrogant young Uchiha was no secret. In an attempt to make her happy again, Naruto made the 'promise of a lifetime' to bring Sasuke back to her. She shuddered slightly as she remembered the ashamed look that had adorned her poor friends face when he returned home without Sasuke. Sasuke had almost killed him, Naruto had tried so hard whilst she'd stayed behind doing nothing. As she looked at him, covered in bandages and barely able to move she'd hit an all time low. He felt ashamed for failing her, he had gone to such lengths to protect both his friends and she'd been useless, as always. She'd felt a burning self loathing, for many things. Mainly for treating Naruto so badly when he had never done anything but offer her his friendship. He'd constantly put his life on the line to protect her and simply make her happy and all she'd ever done was throw it all back in his face. He'd had such a hard, lonely life and all she'd ever offered him were harsh words. Even now she still felt ashamed for the way she'd treated him back then.

Seeing Naruto in that hospital bed was really the breaking point for the young, frustrated kunoichi. She was sick and tired of relying on others, it was time for her to find her own strength. After seeing the incredible medical feats of the new Hokage she decided to bite the bullet and beg her to make Sakura her apprentice. Tsunade had taken pity on the young girl, knowing that it couldn't be easy being just a normal kid in a team with two extraordinary team mates. The Godaime agreed and was a harsh teacher, with high expectations. It made Sakura realize just how hard she should have been working all along, and couldn't help but feel slightly bitter at Kakashi's neglect of her. Over the years she had grown an awful lot. The fire within the young kunoichi burned brightly and combined with the Slug Sannin's training she had turned in to quite the talented shinobi.

Sakura heard the creak of the door opening and turned to see her team mates filing in. She looked at their familiar faces, and in her current reminiscent mood felt a surge of warmth towards them.

Kakashi the gray haired copy nin, who hid the majority of face beneath a form fitting mask. Sakura was one of the very few people that knew what lay underneath the mask. She recalled the time when they'd still been genin and had tried to trick Kakashi into revealing his face to them, but of course they hadn't stood a chance at out witting him. It hadn't been until many years later, on a dangerous mission to the Earth Country that she had finally witnessed what lay beneath. Although Iwagakure remained some civility on a political level, they were always hostile to Leaf ninja in their territory. Team Kakashi had foolishly let their guard down in their haste and it had cost them, they had been ambushed by fifteen enemy ANBU. Thinking back on it Sakura knew they were lucky to be alive after that incident. Kakashi had received a deep cut on his neck that would prove to be fatal without immediate medical attention. There had been nothing for it but to take his mask off. Sakura wasn't exactly sure what she'd been expecting from Kakashi's face, there was nothing abnormal about it at all. He had strong handsome features and unscathed skin, to be honest it was a mystery to her why he bothered with the mask. It was strange, but from that day forward she felt a deepened bond with her team mate and former sensei. It wasn't by any stretch of the imagination the first time she'd saved his life, so she suspected that she'd now seen his face was reason behind the new found depth in their friendship. This had been roughly a year ago, now and her and Kakashi had grown continuously closer, she saw him as an older brother. Always there to protect and comfort her. Not that she _liked _the idea of being protected, nor did she need it.

She then turned her attention to Sai, Sasuke's replacement. Except that wasn't all he was anymore. He was no longer just a ninja assigned to fill the gap in their team, they were true friends, with true bonds. His resemblance to Sasuke was uncanny, the same milky white skin, dark hair and ebony eyes. When she had first set eyes upon him she wondered if some higher power was taunting her by replacing Sasuke with a boy who bore such a striking resemblance. He had been rude and completely unaware of social norms when they first met, resulting in her giving him a beating or two. As time passed she realized he simply couldn't help the way he was, he had been trained to have no emotions whatsoever and she watched as he tried so hard to forge bonds. Over the last couple of years she had become very attached to Sai and she was pleased that he'd managed to gain some level of normalcy and feelings. She knew that he cared about them too, and it made her happy to know he had a chance at living a real life now.

Yamato had been the new team leader for their mission to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru, chosen especially for his ability to keep the Kyuubi under control. He wasn't as kind hearted as Kakashi, it was Yamato who had forced them to open their eyes to the reality of the shinobi world and take a good look at it. At the time, both her and Naruto had only ever been under the leadership of Kakashi and this was a rude wake up call for them, albeit a much needed one. Yamato still remained in ANBU but often accompanied the other members of Team Kakashi on missions. Sakura had undoubtedly grown fond of him, he was a kind and caring man with a sensible head on his shoulders.

Sakura held an unconditional love for Naruto. They were the very best of friends and although her temper often got the better of her when it came to him, she could honestly say there was no one she cared more about. The two of them had been through so much together and no one else could truly understand their desperate desire to bring Sasuke back home. Much to Sakura's surprise Naruto had grown very handsome over the years, not to mention tall. When they had been younger he had always been the shortest, even shorter than her, not to mention goofy looking. His golden hair was longer now and framed his face which had matured beautifully, leaving behind strong, defined features. He had beautiful azure eyes that were full of life and happiness and Sakura often noted the appreciative looks he received from the females of Konoha. Despite her unconditional love for Naruto, Sakura still wasn't _in love_ with him. For a time she thought she might be falling for him but after a while it had become clear to her that it was simply a growing sense of admiration for the young man. She cared deeply for Naruto and to be honest she was shocked that after all this time he was still in love with her. For six years now he'd had eyes for no one but her and his loyalty flattered her to no end. She desperately wanted him to find happiness and hoped that eventually he would come to see that she wasn't the one for him.

Sakura had become lost in thought and snapped back to reality suddenly. She could see her team mates looked as confused as she felt about why they had been called here so urgently. Tsunade let out a small sigh, drawing attention to herself. The five heads turned to look at her and she in turn raised her slightly bowed head to meet their gazes. There was such exhaustion in her eyes that even the usually hasty Naruto didn't demand to know why they were all gathered here and waited for her to speak. There was few moments more silence that seemed to span a lifetime before their superior spoke.

"Akatsuki have been sighted several times within the last week, it appears they are heading towards the Fire Country" she said at last. Naruto let out a low, throaty noise but let her continue.

"It seems the Akatsuki in question are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, I'm sure you're all aware of the implications of this. It is no secret that Itachi is after the Kyuubi inside Naruto, however, it is shocking news that they have entered the Fire Country and appear to be coming directly to Konoha. An unusually dangerous move, even for shinobi of their caliber. It is also surprising that they don't seem to have made any real effort to remain inconspicuous, especially for one as wary as Uchiha Itachi" she paused in thought, as if trying to figure out what all of this meant. Sakura had to admit it made no sense whatsoever. Her mentor was right, even Akatsuki couldn't just waltz into Konoha and happily walk away with the Kyuubi.

Naruto broke the pensive silence, evidently unable to hold back any longer. "What the hell?! Are they just going to come try and grab me! They better be ready for the ass kicking of their lives!" but Sakura could hear the edge of uncertainty in his voice.

"There's more" Tsunade interrupted quietly. "Sasuke has also been trailing the pair, he has been causing problems for them for some time now, making it rather difficult for them to accomplish their goals no doubt..."

Sakura's eyes narrowed, wondering what the Godaime was getting at.

"The only reason that makes any sense for the Akatsuki to enter the Fire Country so recklessly is that it has something to do with Sasuke. As I said before, he is causing problems for them and as you all know from your encounter with him two years ago Sasuke had become very strong, who knows what he has achieved since then. No doubt they want to avoid fighting him if possible. Sasuke happens to be a missing nin and is wanted by Konoha and I'm sure you're aware at the lengths we have gone to in order to retrieve him. Akatsuki are well informed and I highly doubt this has gone unnoticed by them and perhaps they are trying to take advantage of the situation. My guess is they have some sort of plan, that we will send a team to retrieve Sasuke, no doubt your team" she said solemnly looking at them all "as we have always done in the past."

Kakashi took over from the Hokage, he appeared to have also worked out the situation "I see, they're counting on Sasuke not wanting to return to Konoha, which of course he most likely won't. They're counting on us taking this opportunity to retrieve Sasuke and his resistance. Giving them the chance to snatch Naruto whilst we and Sasuke are distracted by each other."

Sakura's eyes widened at this, she still was amazed from time to time at how they could have so little information and manage to work out enemy shinobi's plans. Sakura was hard pressed to think of two ninjas more experienced and wise than Kakashi and Tsunade and she guessed it was this experience that allowed them to unravel such situations.

"Although, I must say if this truly is their intention it is incredibly arrogant of them to believe that they will end up achieving it. No doubt they have something else up their sleeve that we haven't picked up on" he continued.

"So what are you planning on doing?" Naruto said quietly, taking in what had just been said.

"I'm sending Team Kakashi to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke and bring him back to Konoha" Tsunade answered with utter conviction. Five pairs of eyes widened in shock.

"But Hokage-sama we'd be walking right in to Akatsuki's trap!" Yamato exclaimed.

"Yes, it does appear that way, doesn't it?" she replied coolly.

"Even so we can't simply ignore the fact that this is quite possibly the best chance we'll ever have to deal with those irritating Uchiha brothers who have caused me nothing but problems. Itachi is the common enemy here, perhaps Sasuke won't be thrilled to see you but I'm sure he much rather fight Itachi than you. In the best case scenario Sasuke would eliminate the threat of Itachi whilst your team took care of his partner Kisame. Then in Sasuke's weakened state after the battle you can bring him back to Konoha, or better yet he chooses to come back of his own free will. We effectively have the chance to kill two birds with one stone"

This statement appeared to anger Naruto who growled "What about the worst case scenario?" his eyes flaring as he spoke.

"In the worse case scenario where Itachi seems to be overpowering Sasuke, you escape whilst he is distracted with the task at hand." Sakura watched as fury washed across her friend's face but Tsunade simply held her hand up to silence him and he didn't say anything.

This was shocking in itself, Naruto never treated her with respect but there was something about the Godaime today, something in her eyes that made even Naruto hesitant to anger her.

"I know this will undoubtedly upset you Naruto and that you'd quite happily risk your own life to protect Sasuke. I know how much he means to all of you which is why I have been so lenient with you all concerning the matter over the past few years. However, this isn't just about you or Sasuke. You want to be Hokage one day, don't you Naruto?" He nodded.

"Well, the Hokage has to protect the people of their village, that is their duty as the Hokage. We are still unsure of what it is exactly the Akatsuki are planning but there is a reason behind why they are collecting bijuu. To be quite frank I don't ever want to find out what it is that they're planning to do with them, because there is no doubt in my mind it will be catastrophic. If you let yourself fall into their hands to protect Sasuke, think of all the harm you could cause everyone Naruto. You are more than aware of the power the Kyuubi possesses, if you allow them to harness that how many people do you think would be hurt? No doubt many of your precious people..." her words rung in the air.

Sakura wasn't sure she'd ever seen such fear on Naruto's face. He was never scared in battle, he would always fight for what he believed in with no fear and no regrets. Yet she could see how petrified this had him, she had taken his control away. Sakura knew all to well that Naruto would sacrifice his life to protect Sasuke and that he'd quite happily do the same for her. Obviously Naruto had no intentions of letting the Kyuubi fall into the hands of Akatsuki but at the same time Sakura was pretty sure that it had never occurred to him what devastation it could cause, how many people could be hurt. How many people could be killed.

After the Hokage had finished filling them in with the relevant information they were dismissed to prepare and meet again in an hours time. She now stood in her small apartment, she had moved into it a few months ago when she had turned eighteen. It was a sweet little place and she liked it a lot, it really felt like home. She enjoyed the freedom she now had, she could come home any time she wished and felt like a real adult. She'd never enjoyed living with her parents, she loved them but they had never exactly been close. Neither of them were ninja and never really understood her lifestyle and her choices. She hated them seeing her weapons and her bloody clothes and felt a lot more comfortable now, living in her own modest place. She filled her pack with a spare change of clothes, some medical scrolls and some other basic supplies.

She picked up the framed photo of Team Seven when they had first became genin, it was a ritual for her to do so before she embarked on a mission. She smiled weakly at the memory of it, the annoyed expressions on her team mates faces at having to be in a team with one another. On the day the photo was taken none of them had known how close they'd end up growing, how much they'd do for each other. Especially Naruto and Sasuke, her smile dissolved as she remembered how much Sasuke wanted to sever those bonds, yet they still hadn't given up and here they were trying once again to bring back their lost friend.

Sakura was no longer in love with Sasuke as she once had been, she found she still loved him but in the same way she loved Naruto. She of course loved Naruto more, her trust in him ran much deeper. She had expected to remain a broken shell forever more after Sasuke's departure and for a while she had become more withdrawn, especially after Naruto left for three years to train with the Sannin Jiraiya. She'd felt so incredibly alone but it had given her time to train hard and reflect on her feelings. After spending a long time contemplating her love for Sasuke she came to the conclusion that in some abstract way she actually wanted to _be_ Sasuke. Well, not be him, but be like him. He was cool, popular, good looking, admired and strong. All things that she had desired to be herself. After she found the source for her love she had thought it ridiculous, she was no longer a little girl and those things didn't matter to her any more. She no longer had silly, unimportant aspirations and after getting close to Sasuke she knew that despite having all these traits he was far from happy.

After she had truly figured some things out about herself she had become much stronger and more self assured. For the first time ever she actually knew what she wanted, she was determined to not let her boys down and become stronger for them.

Sakura approached the grand, ruby red gates of Konoha to see Naruto waiting there anxiously for her "Hurry up Sakura-chan!" he called out to her. She smiled at him, breaking into a run and soon reached the rest of her team.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked sounding rather too relaxed for her liking, considering the situation. That was just him though and she knew in a way it was just an act to reassure his team mates. _At least he's on time for once._ Everyone nodded and Sakura cast her home of Konoha a fond backwards glance as they moved out.

_..._

_A/N – I finally edited all of the chapters written so far. They were a little on the sloppy side, no dramatic changes or anything but I feel that it's improved the story._

_If you enjoyed please do leave a review, it means a lot to me!_


	2. Mightiest Monster, Mightiest Melodrama

_**Mightiest Monster, Mightiest Melodrama**_

Sakura tried to keep her mind clear as the raced through the dense forest of the Fire Country. They were on a collision course, heading straight for Akatsuki. And for Sasuke.

Sakura had only once before encountered Itachi and had merely been a spectator as Kakashi and Naruto had battled him. At least they had thought it was him, in reality Akatsuki had been using some unknown cloning technique and the dead body had been a jounin from Suna. She had no idea how powerful this S-Class criminal truly was, all she could do was make assumptions about Uchiha Itachi's strength. Not knowing the facts always frustrated Sakura, she felt the need to know exactly what it was she was dealing with and when it came to Itachi, and the rest of the Akatsuki for that matter, the facts were more than a little hazy.

That encounter with Itachi had been the first time Kakashi had admitted to needing help, that he would be unable to deal with this man on his own. In Sakura's eyes Kakashi had always been some what of a guardian angel, perpetually protecting his students and witnessing him admit that he needed help was more than a little disconcerting to her. Although she guessed it wasn't all that surprising, this was the man who had wiped out the entire Konoha police force by himself when he had been only thirteen. It seemed an unimaginable feat, the Uchihas were widely recognized as a noble and powerful clan yet they had all been slain by a teen. One of their own.

Sakura was a kind and loving person, whilst it was true she had a short fuse she could never have envisaged herself hating anyone when she had been younger. Despite this it seemed hate was the only way she could sum up her feelings toward the older Uchiha. She had come across many undesirable characters over the years, she thought it would be hard for _anyone_ to be more undesirable than Orochimaru. Surprisingly she still couldn't find the same hatred in her heart for him as she could for Itachi.

Orochimaru's evil was clear, it emanated from him. She knew the man had done terrible things, killed countless numbers of people, tested on young children and other deeds so horrific she preferred to not think about them. Yet, in her mind she condemned Itachi as the crueler of the two. Whilst she was disgusted by the things Orochimaru had done, she found comprehending them easier. To him they had just been faceless people, completely insignificant to him. But Itachi, _Itachi_ had murdered his own family. He also seemed to find some perverse pleasure in torturing Sasuke, making him relive the night of the massacre on more than one occasion. Forever taunting his brother about his supposed weakness.

Itachi had taken away her former team mate's life with his actions. Had filled him so full of hatred it had become impossible for him to live a normal life, she knew all to well that Sasuke merely saw himself as an avenger and his only wish was to see Itachi dead. What horrified Sakura most was when Sasuke had told them he was willing to let Orochimaru have his body if it meant he could achieve his goal. She was thankful it hadn't turned out that way.

There was an unusual silence between the team, very little had been said in the few hours they had been traveling. Sakura knew it was almost time, that soon they would be faced with two S-Class criminals and her lost friend.

"We're going to stop for a fifteen minute break now to recuperate and discuss tactics" her gray haired sensei told them rather abruptly. They all nodded in recognition and jumped gracefully to the ground below. Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow, they had been traveling at full pelt for close to four hours in an attempt to make time to set some sort of trap for the unsuspecting Akatsuki. It would be a small advantage but in a situation like this every little helped.

"Ideally we would like to avoid confrontation with Itachi and Kisame, I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you how dangerous they are. There is no way that we would survive an all out battle with them unscathed. Perhaps even alive." Kakashi explained wearily, doing little to reassure the young pink haired kunoichi.

It was Yamato's turn to speak "Sakura and Naruto it is vital that both of you stay away from the Akatsuki. You'll be needed to heal any injuries we sustain Sakura, so it would be best if you didn't waste your chakra fighting."

Sakura had to bite her tongue at this remark, anger swelling dangerously inside her. Yamato was probably unaware of the weight his words carried but to Sakura he had very clearly insinuated that her fighting would be nothing more than a mere waste of chakra. A few years ago she would have hung her head at this remark, ashamed of the truth that it held but after years of strenuous training she felt down right insulted by his words. She decided to let it slide for now, there were much more important things to be worrying about and there was no point in bickering with her team.

"Naruto, it's you they're after so you have to stay back. I know you'll want to fight them but it's much to dangerous, Itachi has easily caught you in genjutsu before and could do so again which would create phenomenal difficulties for us. Your main role will be trying to persuade Sasuke to return with us." Yamato continued.

"Let's not forget that we want to let Sasuke try and kill Itachi" Sai chimed in.

Sakura bit her lip. Could Sasuke really be strong enough to kill Itachi? She knew he'd grown so powerful, he'd easily dealt with them two years ago and had gone on to kill both Orochimaru and Deidara. She knew how powerful they both had been and it was a real testament to how strong Sasuke must have become. _Maybe he can just pull this off _she thought to herself.

The small group spent several minutes more working on a plan of action and as they all stood Sakura did her best to gain control over her nerves. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest so intensely she was sure the others must be able to hear it too but if they could no one said anything. Sakura wasn't entirely sure what was getting to her so much, after all she had faced death many times as a shinobi and she knew that wasn't really what it was She was terrified of those she cared about getting hurt, especially Naruto and Sasuke. She had no doubts that the exchange between the Uchiha brothers would be chilling.

With the thought left lingering in her mind they shot off once again.

* * *

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly, he could feel several chakra signatures heading directly towards him. He wasn't surprised to find that he recognized them, he was however annoyed by them. _When the fuck will they give up _he mused angrily. He had genuinely thought they had given up after not having pursued him for close to two years now. He of course knew there was the possibility they could be after Kisame and Itachi but that made no sense. Why would they send Naruto and his team to do something so dangerous? He was certain that the Hokage would have used ANBU or hunter nins, the only thing that made sense was they were coming for him and the last thing he wanted was for them to get involved, he had been waiting his whole life for this after all.

"Karin, Suigetsu" he began, gaining his two team mates attention.

"I'm sure you're aware of this but it seems my former team mates are also going to be present for the battle. I want you to make sure no one else gets involved in the battle between myself and Itachi."

"Understood" they replied in unison.

* * *

"Naruto-kun, are you ready to come with us now?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat as she heard the softly spoken voice of Itachi Uchiha. There he was, standing only a matter of meters away from them, Kisame Hoshigaki at his side. Their cloaks billowed slightly with the warm evenings breeze, red clouds dancing on a sea of black.

"You bastard! As if I'd ever go with you!" Naruto spat back in reply.

The Uchiha didn't respond but seemed to be waiting for something.

Sasuke.

There he stood, he looked even more beautiful than she had remembered. His creamy skin seemed to glow in the pinkish light of sundown, his inky hair framed his handsome face perfectly. He had truly grown into a man over the last two years, Sasuke had always been rather effeminate looking but his features seemed much stronger now. She blushed slightly at her thoughts, mentally scolding herself for thinking such thoughts, especially in such a situation.

"Looks like we're ready to get this party started" Kisame smirked, reaching for his Samehada.

"I take it you have come here to kill me, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, his voice betraying no emotion whatsoever. Sakura noticed that he didn't even turn to look at his younger brother but kept his eyes fixed on Naruto.

"It's finally over Itachi, this time I will have justice."

The older Uchiha's face remained expressionless, completely unfazed by his sibling's words. She heard a low growl to her left, recognizing that it came from Naruto she turned to look at him. His eyes were crimson and his canine teeth exposed, his face contorting with anger.

"Naruto, don't!" she shrieked at him as he was encompassed by swirling red chakra and much to her horror formed not one but two tails.

Yamato quickly made a move to gain control of the Kyuubi's chakra but Kisame took this opportunity to launch at him, swinging his menacing sword at Yamato with unbelievable strength. _Shit _she thought as she quickly realized this was now going to become an all out battle and wondering what the hell had gotten Naruto so worked up already. Naruto's actions were quickly becoming more feral and he was now on all fours, looking ready to strike at any time.

And all in a moment he did. His hand furiously swiped at Sasuke's face missing by a fraction of an inch.

"Itachi has put him in a genjutsu" explained Kakashi, the urgency in his voice unmistakable "we need to get him out of it as soon as possible. Sakura stay back, there's going to a lot of healing to do!"

Kakashi swiftly moved towards where Naruto was attacking Sasuke. Sasuke seemed hesitant to hurt his former comrade and was sticking to dodging his attacks, he moved with such speed and elegance it almost looked as if he was dancing around Naruto. She wondered how powerful he had become and if he truly could defeat Itachi. Having to deal with Naruto was definitely going to wear him out but she was grateful that he wasn't hurting her best friend. She could never forgive him for that.

Her silver haired team captain was intercepted by two people that had been accompanying Sasuke. She had barely noticed them until now, both looked young, one male and one female. She noticed that the male was wielding Zabuza's impressive sword, identifying it easily even after all these years.

Sakura took a moment to collect her thoughts and assess what was happening around her. Sai and Yamato were doing their best against Kisame, a wooden dome suddenly burst from the ground to protect Yamato from Samheda, it smashed down hard on the barrier turning the wood to nothing but splinters. They rained to the ground as she watched inky beasts fly above Yamato's head and wrap themselves around the shark nin's monstrous sword, it was futile, the sword consumed them as if they were nothing. It's ability to eat chakra made it extremely hard to fight it's wielder and she could only hope her team mates would be alright.

The Kyuubi's chakra was growing more and more potent, a third tail had appeared and Naruto was losing the little control he had left. He was obviously still trapped in Itachi's genjutsu and his attacks on Sasuke were becoming increasingly violent, she had seen him like this once before when fighting Orochimaru. Kabuto had casually observed that it was more a battle between monsters then men and he had been right. That_ thing_ inside Naruto was a monster with the power to turn her beloved friend into one. She knew Sasuke could only continue to dodge for so long, it was a testament to his skills that he hadn't yet been so much as scratched by the Kyuubi container.

Kakashi was now holding off the two unknown shinobi. He seemed to have his work cut out for him as he defended against the vast swings of Zabuza's former sword. The female didn't seem to be doing all that much, just throwing the occasional punch and forcing Kakashi towards her partner.

And there in the midst of it all, stood Itachi like a statue. He hadn't moved so much as an inch, his sharingan eyes were trained on Sasuke and Naruto, taking in the battle. She had an overwhelming urge to smash her fist into his blank face and stop him from ever hurting her friends again. She was sure she would have done just that if she even stood the remotest chance of landing a hit but from what she'd heard Itachi was even faster than Sasuke. Unfortunately there was no way her fist would make contact with his face.

A pained grunt rang through the air, interrupting her thoughts. One of Naruto's tails had lashed Sasuke directly in the stomach, his limp body soared through the air in what seemed like slow motion before landing on the ground with a dull thump. She could make out the grimace that spread across his face, having been hit by one of those tails before she knew how incredibly painful it was. The Kyuubi's chakra also acted like a poison causing further damage and she watched in amazement as with a small struggle Sasuke managed to rise to his feet.

He unsheathed his sword in one swift movement and Sakura's heart stopped. Had he decided this was the only way? That's when the fourth tail formed.

A huge burst of chakra erupted from the blonde shinobi, tearing up the landscape. She leapt backwards as fast as she could to avoid being hit. Once she had made it to safety she saw the others had done the same and Naruto now stood alone in the middle of the battle field. She knew in this state that he was a danger to them all and everyone had temporarily abandoned their battles to reach safety.

Sasuke appeared to be severely injured, he had been standing close to Naruto and was already hurt, no doubt making escape much more difficult. He remained conscious but his body was slumped against a tree indicating that it would be difficult for him to escape another attack.

She noticed that the Kyuubi's chakra was peeling Naruto's skin off his body and his blood mingled with the sinister red chakra in the shroud that enveloped his body. The four tails swayed ominously, his actions were entirely unpredictable and it was likely that he would strike at any moment.

"Hokage Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu!" Sakura was overcome with an immense relief as she heard Yamato cry out the words she had heard him use before, the words that meant the Kyuubi was going to be suppressed. No one made a movement to stop him, obviously having decided that allowing Yamato to suppress the demon's insane power would be in their best interests.

Wood sprung from the ground and Naruto cried out in pain as she watched what she knew must be an excruciatingly painful experience for her friend. The shroud of sinister chakra slowly retreated back in to his heavily bleeding body before he fell like a rag doll on to the ground.

Sakura rushed to his side, there was no way in hell she was going to leave him lying on the ground in his current state, she really couldn't care less that she was supposed to be staying back. He was bleeding heavily and was missing a lot of flesh, it was possible he could even die if not aided immediately. She reached his side before anyone else had even moved, perhaps they were too shocked by what they had just witnessed to comprehend moving yet. She knew that it was a horrifying sight for even the most jaded of shinobi.

She collected healing chakra to her hands and pumped it inside her lifeless friend, assessing the damage as promptly as possible. It would take a huge amount of chakra to fully heal him but she set to work moving her hands over his body as slowly but surely flesh began to cover his limp form once again. Thankfully, there were no serious internal injuries so once she had gained control of the bleeding his condition would no longer be life threatening, she knew she had to work fast, it was only so long before they would be interrupted by someone or other taking advantage of the situation.

"Quick, cover Sakura and Naruto!" Kakashi called out but it was already too late. Kisame appeared before the rest of Team Kakashi, sword in hand and a smirk across his ugly face. Sakura was only vaguely aware of what was happening around her, her mind completely absorbed in the task at hand. Kisame was blocking all three of her comrades from reaching her, leaving her and Naruto entirely unguarded and vulnerable.

The two shinobi who arrived with Sasuke were now at his side tending to him, the girl with red hair and glasses was fussing over him as she whined his name repeatedly. If Sakura had been paying attention to the scene it would have reminded her of her old self when that was all she had been. Some girl fussing and whining over her crush, no use in battle, no use to anyone. But not today, she was going to save Naruto and the rest of her team, they were going to accomplish their mission.

Itachi watched the chaos his genjutsu had created, he had trapped the Jinchuuriki with ease. It was unfortunate for Naruto that genjutsu was probably his greatest weakness and Itachi had simply tricked him into believing that Sasuke was himself. However, even he was surprised by how out of hand the situation had quickly become, Naruto had very little control over his temper when it came to his younger brother.

Kisame was doing a decent job of holding back the other Konoha shinobi and Sasuke seemed to be out of commission for now. Naruto lay unconscious and only the weak pink haired kunoichi stood between them. It was time for him to make his move.

Naruto's body was almost fully healed, all his skin had now grown back and knowing how resilient he was it would only be a matter of minutes before he awoke. Sakura let out a sign of relief and looked down at her hands which burned slightly from using a large amount of chakra to heal in such a short amount of time. She flexed her fingers before raising her head, where her eyes met the startling contrast of red clouds on a black cloak.

* * *

"I-Itachi..." his name came out as a broken whisker from her lips.

He was so fast, she had looked at her hands for a second and hadn't even noticed him standing right before her. A cocktail of emotion rose in her: anger, fear, frustration, helplessness and a complete sense of stupidity. _How could she have let her guard down? Even if it only had been for a second._

"I don't want to hurt you, just let me have Naruto-kun and I won't touch you" he said softly. The strange thing was she couldn't help but feel his words were truly genuine. Despite this, there was not an ounce of doubt in her mind. Naruto would put his life on the line to protect her any day and she would do the same for him.

"Never" she snarled in return. Without a second thought she lunged at him, collecting chakra in her fist. She should have known that it was useless to attack him head on like this, she didn't have the speed to land the hit but her mind was clouded with a primal instinct to protect her friend. Rational thought seemed to have completely abandoned her.

Itachi evaded her punch and caught her by the wrist, he expertly twisted her arm behind her back and put her into a lock, immobilizing her with ease. His other hand drew a kunai to her throat. Naruto opened his eyes beneath them and for a moment appeared to struggle with comprehending the scene, confusion all over his face.

"Sakura!" he screamed, she saw the effort he made to do something but his body was still fatigued and failed him. He collapsed to the floor once again and groaned in pain, his body shaking like a leaf as he willed himself to help his friend.

It was almost as if time was standing still, the cold metal of the kunai pressed into her neck sending shivers down her spine, she was trapped. If the situation wasn't so dire she knew she would be terribly embarrassed of how many careless mistakes she had made in the last few minutes.

"I won't hurt her if you surrender yourself Naruto-kun" Itachi told the trembling body on the ground before him.

"If you give yourself up we will leave your friends alone, no one has to get hurt" the Uchiha told him calmly and Sakura saw the consideration in Naruto's eyes.

"Naruto, don't listen to him, remember what Tsunade-sama said! I would happily give my life to protect countless people from Akatsuki..." her heart wasn't truly in her words, she didn't want to die here and now, there was so much she still wanted to achieve but she would if it meant protecting Naruto and Konoha.

There seemed to be a constant stream of grunts from Kisame's battle against Kakashi, Sai and Yamato. The former Mist nin appeared to have a never ending chakra supply and with his ability to absorb the Konoha shinobis' she could see that they were struggling. Indecision was written all over Naruto's face and neither of them could do a thing to stop the eldest Uchiha.

"Itachi..." came Sasuke's voice. She could detect a note of pain within it but he was now standing and walking towards them, flanked by his accomplices.

"Surely you are not so foolish to believe you could defeat me in your current state little brother?"

"I'm still more than strong enough to defeat you"

With that a torrent of shuriken came flying towards the pink haired kunoichi and her stoic captor. Sakura was horrified, _was he willing to sacrifice her in order to get to Itachi_?

Sakura felt herself being pushed down low and her knees buckled under Itachi's weight. The shuriken ripped through the air above them but they were safe for now.

* * *

Itachi was no fool, he knew how powerful his brother had become and although he knew he could still defeat him easily enough right now carrying out his mission objective had to take priority. He'd had many chances to capture the Jinchuuriki and Leader was growing impatient, it was now or never.

Kisame was occupied with trying to hold off the others and Itachi could see that he was beginning to struggle in doing so. All three were jounin level and the Copy Nin Hatake Kakashi would definitely prove to be problematic if the fight continued any longer. Neither him, nor Kisame could afford to be severely wounded at this crucial stage of the plan. They needed to get out of there fast.

There was no way he could grab the Kyuubi now, it would be too difficult when Sasuke could attack him at any moment. That didn't matter though.

He had the perfect bait and there was no doubt in his mind that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki would come after it.

"Let's go Kisame."

Everything was going to work out just the way he planned it, he had absolute faith in both the Jinchuuriki and his brother.

_

* * *

__A/N - This chapter was a little... skeletal before. I hope it feels a bit more padded out now. Writing fights isn't really my strength so I hope I didn't do too badly._

_If you enjoyed please review - it means a lot to me! Constructive criticism is encouraged. _

_Vodkalust :D_

* * *


	3. Time To Pretend

_**Time To Pretend**_

Kisame wasn't entirely sure what was going on, he had been completely preoccupied with trying to hold off the Konoha shinobi when Itachi had spoken. He disappeared only to reappear at Itachi's side a moment later. He observed the scene with wonder. Itachi had the pink haired kunoichi in a lock, with a kunai held to her throat. The Kyuubi container was shaking on the ground, seemingly trying to stand but failing miserably and the younger Uchiha was stooped over a little, a deep frown set upon his face.

To be honest he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the scene, to him it seemed as if Itachi had everything perfectly under control, just as he usually did. He couldn't fathom why they were leaving but then again it was Itachi who was the genius, not him, so he simply resigned himself to the fact that whatever his stoic partner had in mind was probably the best course of action.

"Alright then let's get out of here" he sighed.

"Itachi isn't going anywhere" Sasuke growled, his voice shaking with fury.

Kisame was taken by surprise at this little outburst, he assumed that the younger Uchiha would be grateful to leave this place with his life. Apparently not.

"No offense but you don't look like you're in a position to do anything kid" Kisame remarked snidely.

Sasuke ignored the shark-nin, his crimson eyes fixed on his older brother.

"Let Sakura go and fight me like a man."

"I'm afraid I can't do that little brother" Itachi replied coolly. "I have no interest in killing you right now and your mind is clearly clouded with rage. Your time will come soon Sasuke-kun but you can not defeat me now."

His words infuriated Sasuke. _Damn it, I have to regain my composure. Don't let him get to you, you aren't a little kid any more._ Sasuke straightened up, ignoring the searing pain he felt as he did so. He unsheathed the Sword of Kusanagi and considered his brother with sharingan eyes, searching for a way to make him release Sakura.

He could see the fear in her eyes and he didn't mean to scare her. He had already caused her enough pain and had no intention of causing her anymore, in fact, he was only doing this to save her. Itachi was right, he couldn't defeat him now but there was no way in hell he was going to allow him to hurt those he had once – maybe still did – considered to be precious to him. He had already taken away enough people that Sasuke had cared about and as long as he lived he was never going to allow it to happen again.

Karin and Suigetsu were loitering behind him looking unsure of what to do with themselves. He wasn't about to let them know that his objective was to save his former friend, he didn't think it was something they would understand. It wasn't really something he understood, he had tried so hard to make himself the perfect avenger, devoid of all emotion. Yet, he still _felt. _Despite abandoning them and even after almost killing Naruto they had still cared about him. They wouldn't allow him to sever the bonds between them and in a way it was a ray of light, an ounce of hope in the darkness that had devoured him. He knew that one day, when he was ready, they would be there to save him from the darkness. It was only fair that he too should save them.

Itachi's eyes were locked on Sasuke's, trying to anticipate what he was planning. He wondered if his brother would be willing to hurt the kunoichi locked in his arms. He didn't want her to get hurt, ideally this transaction would go as smoothly with as little fighting as possible. He knew how deep the loud mouthed Jinchuuriki's bonds ran with this girl, that he would do anything to save her. It wasn't necessary to hurt her, it would only anger him and he could do without that hassle. Akatsuki were running more than a little thin on the ground, there were a few new faces that had been drafted in to replace the former members but the standard of the members had fallen dramatically.

All of the other bijuus had been captured and extracted, only the nine tailed fox demon was left. Naruto had proved to be a tricky one, the Kyuubi was the most powerful of the bijuu making him the hardest to capture in the first place but Naruto was unusual for Jinchuuriki. He still belonged to his village and was deeply cared for by it, many strong shinobi surrounded him. For three years he had the Legendary Toad Sannin Jiraiya at his side, which was unbelievably frustrating as these would have been the prime years to capture him. Whilst he was weak.

He was no longer a weak little child, he was a young man to be reckoned with. The Hokage hadn't helped the situation. They had expected that she would keep him in the village where they would assume he would remain safe, they had been prepared for such a scenario, Itachi knew Konoha well and very few shinobi there would so much as prove a challenge for him and his partner. This, however, was exactly what she hadn't done. Over the last few years she had continuously sent him on missions making it hard him to be tracked and simultaneously protecting Konoha at the same time. Well, she _was_ one of the Sannin.

Although he admired her thinking and it _had_ caused problems for Akatsuki, he wasn't one to be out maneuvered. He had his brother to thank for the plan he finally devised. A plan that would work out for the best all around. His brother had been pursuing him for some time now which had been more than a small annoyance, from what he had gathered the female that traveled with him had the ability to sense chakra, allowing them to follow in the Akatsuki pair's footsteps with relative ease.

Then one day it had occurred to him, the thing that the Jinchuuriki wanted more than anything was to retrieve Sasuke. He also knew that it was always Naruto's team that the Slug Sannin chose to send on missions to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, Zetsu had reported that it had been them sent when Sasuke had originally deferred from the village. They had also been sent once again when Sasori had provided information on Orochimaru's whereabouts.

There was no doubt in his mind it would be them sent again if a chance to take Sasuke back arose. It was ludicrously simple. Sasuke had been pursuing them now for two years with the utmost dedication, Itachi had filled Kisame in on his plan and the two headed directly for the Fire country with very little discretion.

Being Akatsuki they quickly drew attention to themselves, exactly as he had planned. He wanted word to get to Konoha that they were heading straight for them and Sasuke was in tow. He knew how hesitant Konoha was to lose it's precious blood line limit, they wouldn't let this opportunity pass them by, he was sure of it. They had taken their time, wanting to ensure that Naruto would be there and not on a mission. It was essential his team was the one to be sent.

He knew all too well that this could be his last chance to finally capture the Jinchuuriki. It had proved difficult even getting this far. He was not going to allow his brother to interfere, he had served his purpose for now.

Sasuke pounced, his sword held above his head.

Sakura watched in horror as the blade gleamed above her menacingly. Her heart thumped in her chest as the sound of the blade cutting through the air filled her ears, she was unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she didn't want to have to see the blow as well as feel it.

Sakura opened her eyes to find that both she and Itachi stood in a different spot from where they had been a moment prior. She wondered how it was possible for him to move them both without her so much as feeling it. The kunai had become warm against her skin and her arm ached from being twisted, a surge of desperation to escape from Itachi overtook her, if she didn't get away Sasuke was going to kill her... just to get to his brother. _This isn't going to happen to me, I am strong._

She threw caution to the wind and slammed her foot to the ground. A fissure exploded through the surrounding area, the ground rose up beneath them, shattered by her incredible strength. Dust filled the air, and in that moment Itachi's hold on her loosened.

Her body seemed to be thinking independently of her brain and her elbow jolted backwards making contact with his stomach. She hadn't been thinking clearly enough to infuse the blow with any chakra and consequently the damage done was minimal, but it was enough. He let out the smallest grunt, a mixture of both surprise and pain as she hastily escaped his clutches.

Her eyes darted across the surrounding area, seeking out her team mates. _Where the fuck are they? _She thought frantically. She needed to reach them, to find refuge from the Uchiha adorned in black and red. The earth began to crumble beneath her feet, she was going to be swallowed into the large crack in the ground that she had created. She despairingly clawed at the earth, searching for anything to cling on to but everything she touched seemed to simply dissolve beneath her finger tips.

And finally she slipped into the darkness.

* * *

...

...

...

"You should not try to escape me, Sakura-san."

Her eyes widened, he had used genjutsu on her. Her breath caught in the back of her throat and she could feel the familiar dampness of sweat on her brow. She was still extremely shaken. Genjutsu wasn't supposed to affect her, she was a genjutsu type with perfect chakra control but he was clearly on a totally different level. She should have easily been able to break free but she hadn't even known what was happening, all she'd felt was dread.

"You should have not used your strength to escape me. It forced your comrades to back away and they were unable to help you in time Sakura-san" he explained to her soothingly. She found the softness of his voice to be some what calming, there was nothing in it to suggest he meant her any harm and she relaxed in to his hold a little.

_Just stay calm Sakura, the others will save you, keep your cool. _She inwardly gave herself a pep talk, everything that she had done so far had caused more harm than good thanks to her rash actions. It was clear to her that she wasn't thinking straight and the best thing she could do was hold tight and wait to be saved.

_Wait to be saved_ – wasn't that what she promised herself she would never need to be again? She managed to remain calm at this thought, reminding herself that even Kakashi needed help against this man, needing help was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Who woulda thought a cute little thing like you could cause that much destruction?" Kisame asked with amusement.

The question was rhetoric but she found herself fighting the urge to spit back an angry retort. Her emotions were always getting the better of her and it was dangerous. She could see how being like that emotionless Uchiha bastard could be an advantage in some ways, although she would never choose that path no matter how powerful it could make you. Whilst it was true that all the Akatsuki members were lacking when it came to having a conscience, Uchiha Itachi was the only one she would describe as being devoid of emotion. His face was always remained expressionless and his words never betrayed a thing, he was impossible to read and it frustrated her immensely. Nothing seemed to ruffle his feathers, she was sure Sasuke could throw every insult under the sun at him and he would not so much as bat an eyelid. She guessed that you _had_ to be an emotionless bastard to slaughter your entire family, save your five year old brother.

Shuriken rained down on them, glinting red in the last light of day. They looked as if they were already covered in blood. This time Kisame was the one to block them, batting them away easily with his Samehada.

Sasuke stood a short distance away from them, high in a tree that had managed to escape the small earthquake she had created. An arrogant smirk spread across his face as Samehada flew out of Kisame's hands. He had rigged the shuriken! She had seen him use this trick once before against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death when they had been much younger and it almost made her smile to know that he still used it.

Kisame chuckled a little, "you're going to have to do better than that boy!"

The teeth of Samehada burst into life, instantly shaving through the wire that had been drawing the fearsome sword towards the younger Uchiha. With an almighty crash, Naruto's golden blonde head burst from the ground, his fist making contact with the sickly blue ninja's chin. A faint cracking sound echoed through the area, soon to be replaced by the familiar pop of Naruto's trade mark jutsu: kage bunshin. One of the three Naruto's that now stood before her lunged at Kisame and grabbed him in what could best be described as a bear hug. It looked rather amusing and she had to hold back a giggle at the ridiculous sight, she was sure no ninja had ever used such a method to keep hold of a foe, especially not the fearsome mist nin. Well, he was the number one most unpredictable ninja after all.

The remaining bunshin began moulding bright blue chakra in the real Naruto's hand before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Naruto launched himself at his clone and it's captive, swooping his arm back in a broad motion before swinging it back in one swift movement. The attack met a similar puff of smoke along with a splash of water.

"Water clone" he growled.

Kisame was leaning on Samehada casually, the smug expression on his face taunting her hot headed comrade.

"Kisame there is no need for us to fool around here" came the stoic Uchiha's voice from behind her.

"They've got my blood pumping now Itachi-san, plus I've been wanting to cut off this fools legs for some time now" he replied with a feral grin.

Naruto was trembling a little and she knew he still wasn't fully recovered from the Kyuubi taking over earlier. If it was anyone else apart from him she doubted they'd still be standing. There was no way he was going to last much longer.

"Get the fuck out of here Naruto!" she screamed at him, her voice strangled. Her desperation ringing through the open space.

* * *

Kakashi winced a little as he heard Sakura's scream, it was painful to hear. Yamato, himself and Sai had been hiding a little way from where the battle was taking place and had spent the last few minutes trying to come up with a plan to get the whole team out of here safely. This was too much for them to handle and right now Naruto was out there fighting against two S-Class criminals in his significantly weakened state. Things didn't look good but at the same time he knew it would be foolish to simply run out there unprepared and hope for the best.

So far he'd come up with nothing. Every plan they had thought of would be easily seen through by Itachi, it seemed Itachi had it covered on all fronts. He had Sakura which essentially meant they couldn't fight him without putting her at risk. If they weren't careful he'd soon have Naruto too with the way things were currently looking.

He hated himself for thinking such thoughts but at the moment the best option seemed for them to flee. He knew Akatsuki wouldn't kill Sakura, she was the bait after all and if they left now they could keep Naruto safe and send a different team later to rescue Sakura. Yet, that simply wasn't an option, he promised himself long ago that he would always protect his team and he wasn't about to let his former student be taken by Akatsuki. Even if they didn't kill her they were sick, sadistic criminals and who knew what kind of twisted torture they might subject her to.

"I'm going in, you two back me up when you come up with some sort of plan" he suddenly told the two men crouched down beside him. Neither looked shock by his decision, they knew all too well what Kakashi was like and he was going in to try save his pupils in his usual gallant way. Yamato gave a curt nod of acknowledgment and with that the silver haired shinobi streaked silently towards the scene of the battle.

* * *

"I'll never give up Sakura-chan" his voice was full of defiance and it broke her heart. Her eyes swelled with tears but she refused to give into them. She wasn't going to let Naruto be taken, he was the person she loved more than anything and she'd be damned if she lost him.

"If they take you, you're going to die" her voice was barely a whisper but it stole everyone's attention.

"If you die Naruto... I can't live. You mean everything to me."

Sasuke had been merely observing since Naruto's surprise attack on Kisame. He'd had no idea that his idiot former team mate was beneath the surface waiting to strike, perhaps he was no longer such an idiot he mused to himself. Although he had quickly cleared up Sasuke's doubts on that matter by attacking the ones trying to kill him head on when he was clearly in no state to do so.

If he hadn't been expecting Naruto's assault on Kisame, the words that had just tumbled out of Sakura's mouth amazed him even more. _Were they in love with each other? _He guessed it was now almost six years since he'd left them behind, he had no idea about their relationship with each other. Why should he care anyway?

_Because if they love each other there is no room for me._

Sasuke immediately crushed this thought. He was here for one thing and one thing only. To kill his murderous, traitorous, bastard brother. He would keep his silent promise to himself to keep them safe but he couldn't help but be annoyed by how distracting they were, how distracting they always had been.

He gracefully leapt from the tree, landing at Naruto's side.

"Relax, nothing is going to happen to either of you" he said, fixing a cocky half-smile on his face.

A moment later they were joined by Kakashi who seemed to have materialized from thin air. Not that he was complaining. Sasuke knew he was strong, he even believed he was now strong enough to take out Itachi but the matter of fact was right now he was badly injured and the blow he'd received from the Kyuubi's shroud appeared to have messed up his chakra flow. Deep down he wasn't feeling half as cocky as he was making out and was grateful for Kakashi's emergence.

"Please, just get out of here, all of you!" Sakura cried out, no longer able to hold back her tears. She hated what she was being reduced to, the crybaby of days gone by but she was terrified of what was going to happen to her friends. Naruto had remained silent since she had last spoken and seemed to fighting some kind of inner battle, his clenched fists shaking at his sides. He looked up, his eyes locking on hers with such intensity that she felt heat rise to her face.

"They aren't going to take me Sakura-chan and they aren't going to take you either." She had never heard him speak with such certainty before, she trusted him from the bottom of her heart but his words only brought more tears to her eyes. He was out of his depth, there was nothing he could do but get hurt.

She looked at her boys, through tear stained eyes. Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi. She loved them all and there they were, fighting to save her like they always did and always would. Even in such a situation she couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness at this thought, even if she hated needing to be saved it was nice to know there were people who cared enough to do it.

"This is going to get out of hand, it's time for us to leave" Itachi told Kisame with a tone of finality.

As soon as the words had left his mouth a wooden dome sprung from the ground covering both Sakura and her Uchiha guard. Darkness encompassed them and she wondered what the hell Yamato was planning on. She heard Itachi let out what sounded like a small sigh, his warm breath grazing the skin on her neck making her suddenly very aware of their closeness. His hands had become some what clammy from holding onto her and she could smell his musky scent. She felt very uncomfortable with their proximity and tried to edge her body away from his as much as possible, squirming a little as his grip tightened at her movements.

"Relax Sakura-san" and to her horror she did. She could feel the muscles in her body ease up at his words as if he had some strange power over her. She wondered what was going on outside and more to the point why Itachi hadn't made any effort to free them from their wooden prison. She could hear muffle noises from outside but the wood was too dense for her to be able to make out what was happening with any sort of clarity.

"Sakura-san, I would like you to break through the wood now" it was a simple statement. Although he had been polite it was clearly an order, not an option.

"Why should I?" she asked scornfully.

"It is the simplest way, all it will take is one kick"

She found the fact that he was making her break them out slightly odd, after all surely the great Itachi Uchiha should easily be able to break through the wood but she decided not to question him. She didn't desire to spend another moment trapped in this claustrophobic space with him, she gathered chakra to her foot and with precise timing released it as her foot made contact with the wall of their jail.

She had opted to not destroy the whole structure and had settled for kicking a hole large enough to allow them to escape. Itachi escorted her out calmly to where Kisame was struggling to fend off the others. He was outnumbered and already seemed to have been injured multiple times in the few minutes they had been trapped.

"Stop." Itachi's voice was authoritative and the others all heeded his command without a second thought. _He seems to have that effect on people._

"This fight will only end in casualties for all parties involved. That is not in the best interest of any of us. If you leave this place now I shall not be forced to hurt any of you." he waited for his words to sink in.

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure you will wish to rescue Sakura-san. I promise that no member of Akatsuki shall lay a finger on her for ten days. You have those ten days to decide whether or not you are willing to exchange yourself for her."

"You bastard" Sasuke spat at him.

Itachi ignored his younger brother and continued "There is a town thirty miles North-West of here, we have a small base on the outskirts of the town. You should be able to find it easily enough. If another team is sent, I will kill Sakura on sight of them."

Sakura was surprised that Naruto still hadn't said anything, his eyes were cemented to the ground. She noticed he was biting his lip so hard he had drawn blood and a small trickle of crimson liquid creapt down his chin.

"If you do not come within ten days, Sakura will also die. I will allow you to bring the team you are currently traveling with so you are insured of Sakura's safe return. Think hard Naruto-kun."

And finally Itachi, Kisame and Sakura evaporated from the scene.

_Everything was going to plan._

A/N - Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed so far. I hope people enjoy the revised, less clumsy version on the story! Is anyone interested in beta-reading for me? I have one but she's currently still at school and won't be able to start for a while. After revising my first few chapter myself I realized just how useful it would be to have a beta reader.

I'd also like to point out that isn't going to just be a simple Sakura bait story. Trust me, I spent quite a while thinking about the plot for this story. I have some of the crazy folks at Naruto Forums to thank for their interesting theories which have inspired this story. I also have the advantage of writing this story after Itachi's character has been fully revealed at long last and I'm really excited about exploring the new posibilties this brings.

If you enjoyed please review! It means a lot to me, contructive criticisms are also appreciated.

Vodkalust :D


	4. Les Pétales Aiment La Saleté

_Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since my last update but I've been **super **busy with exams and after sitting a four exam everyday I haven't been in the mood to write. I am more in love with Itachi than ever after chapter 401, damn Kishi is torturing me!_

_I hope you don't find this chapter too boring. It's transitional and something that needed to be written for the rest of the story to work out. I promise next time we'll get to the good stuff, with this chapter I feel I have finally ended the introduction. I just re-read my chapter three and it's embarrassing, I hope it didn't put anyone off!_

* * *

_**Pétales Aiment La Saleté **_

Amarante tapped her long, talon-esque nails on the cold plastic surface of the table she was sitting at. The room was dim with only a small gas lamp for light, the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance and rain beat harshly against the small window. _The weather matches my mood _she thought to herself grumpily, a slight frown on her beautiful face. Being stuck in this place was driving her stir crazy, she needed to get out and had been considering venturing to the small town a few miles away when the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Now she was stuck here.

She hated this place; it was always so miserable and grey, not to mention boring. Yet, it was this place that she'd been stuck for close to two weeks now with only that buffoon Tobi for company, his presence only managed to irritate her further. She had been partners with him for the best part of two years and was yet to have an intelligent conversation with him. His immaturity was on par with a three year old, and although at times she could find his behaviour to be mildly amusing for the most part it was down right annoying.

Unsurprisingly, she found she wasn't the only one to harbour feelings of severe annoyance for the masked shinobi. He often recounted tales of his time with his previous partner, who'd apparently had a tendency to strangle Tobi rather frequently. She didn't know much about the man she'd replaced other than he'd blown himself up in some sort of crazed suicide jutsu. He sounded like a complete fool to her, but Tobi recalled his time with his former "sempai" with fondness whenever he spoke of their adventures together, and the numerous beatings Deidara had bestowed upon him. She subconsciously twisted the ring on her right index finger.

She often wondered what someone like Tobi was doing in Akatsuki, it just didn't make sense. He constantly referred to himself as a "good boy", not exactly what you'd expect from one of the hardened S-Class criminals of Akatsuki. His behaviour often resulted in her feeling quite the fool when battling alongside him, it rather undermined their reputation when he squealed about how scary the enemy was before proceeding to run away. She couldn't fathom what exactly Leader had been thinking when allowing someone so utterly childish into their organization.

As if on cue he dashed into the kitchen area, looking as if he was going to burst with excitement.

"Amarante-senpai!" he exclaimed loudly, despite the fact only a few feet of space separated them. She rolled her eyes; since they had become partners he'd taken to attaching "senpai" to the end of her name, just as he had with Deidara. This little habit infuriated her. She ground her teeth together, trying to keep her cool.

She definitely wasn't in the mood to converse with Tobi, and felt the urge to lunge forwards and slit his throat. That would shut him up for good. _It's been too long since I killed someone_ she mused and inwardly reminded herself to keep her temper under control.

She instead found herself asking him, "what is it Tobi?" with unconcealed exasperation.

"Itachi-san and Kisame-san are coming to the base and should be here soon! Zetsu-san told me so because Tobi is a good boy!"

Itachi was coming here? This news had most certainly piqued her interest.

The base they had been residing in was rarely used by Akatsuki, the Leader had told them that he suspected something to happen nearby at some point. He wanted them to be on stand by for when it did. What he was expecting she had no idea, even she knew better than to question the Leader. He rarely deemed it necessary to explain his intentions to his members, he was a "god" and apparently they couldn't possibly hope to understand what went through his mind.

The base was located between the Fire Country and the Earth Country in a civilian area, nothing much ever happened here. She wasn't certain what the building had been used for before it had been made into an Akatsuki base, she couldn't imagine anyone in their right mind wanting to live in such a dismal building. It was an one-floor; concrete structure, with barred windows. From the outside it looked as if it could have served as a small prison but the inside told a different story. There were no cells to speak of; merely five simple bedrooms, a large kitchen and a bathroom. It was extremely basic and offered no form of entertainment, hence her boredom.

_Maybe Itachi can provide me with some entertainment..._

Amarante would never admit to it but she was in love with Itachi, well, perhaps love wasn't exactly the right word for it. She just wasn't sure how else to describe it. She readjusted her position in her chair, placing her chin in the palm of her hand. At first she assumed it was merely infatuation or lust; after all, he _was_ devastatingly handsome. With time she had come to realize that her feelings for him ran a little deeper than she'd first thought. Amarante had scarcely met anyone whom she respected in her life time, however, she respected Itachi Uchiha. He was powerful, truly powerful, second only to the Leader in their elite organization. It was no secret that Akatsuki was formed out of the very strongest S-Ranked criminals, each member was roughly equivalent to a Kage in strength. This is what made them so fearsome; it sounded absurd to think the Five Great Shinobi Nations would fear an organization consisting of nine shinobi, but they did. Thus was the strength of Akatsuki.

No matter how powerful Itachi was, it wasn't his power that drew her to him. (Of course, she couldn't ever imagine herself loving a weak man, she was old fashioned in that way. She always believed that the man should be able to protect his lover, not that she _needed_ protecting but it would be nice to know he had the the ability to do so.) No, strangely it was his coldness that made her seek out his affections. She had never seen Itachi fight with her own two eyes but she had heard tales of his ruthlessness. Tales that seriously turned her on. She longed for the day she finally got to see the infamous Uchiha fight, she wouldn't even mind standing on the sidelines. And standing on the sidelines was not something Amarante made a habit of.

Amarante sighed to herself softly, noticing that Tobi had disappeared from the room. It had never been her intention to join Akatsuki. She loved having freedom and being able to do whatever the hell she wanted to. But then one day Akatsuki had sought her out. Of course, she'd heard of them, everyone had. She had actually been deeply flattered by the Leader's invitation to join the organization. Being an Akatsuki was an honour, it was a testament to your strength and ability, she'd been pleased at his acknowledgement of her power. Despite this, she hadn't wanted to join, rules just weren't her style any longer. She soon learned the hard way that you simply don't say no to Akatsuki.

Over the years she had become some what notorious, mainly because of her involvement in various high profile assassinations. It was when she murdered her first Kage that she started really garnering attention. By her own admission this was not quite as an impressive a feat as it first might seem. She knew that defeating a kage sounded like a great accomplishment; but in reality the Country had been recovering from a string of attacks. The Tsuchikage whom she had killed stepped in mere days before she had been hired to assassinate him. She knew that he had only been made Tsuchikage in times of desperation, in normal circumstances she was certain he wouldn't have found himself in such a position. She'd slayed him with relative ease, it was far from the challenge she'd hoped for. The sum offered for carrying out such a mission had been very substantial indeed; she knew in killing their new Tsuchikage she'd be delivering the final blow to the village, but money talked. She'd needed no further persuasion.

Surprisingly, the Village Hidden in the Rock survived. It's allies had come to it's rescue, and slowly but surely it had regained it's strength.

The assassination of the Tsuchikage had earned her the title of "S-Rank" criminal, something which she found to be rather ironic. When she had been a little girl she hadn't even wished to be a shinobi, in fact, she'd absolutely loathed the prospect. She remembered her mother having to drag her to the Ninja Academy, kicking and screaming. Initially, she'd down right refused to do any work, misbehaving in any way she could find to do so. She was soon taught that under no circumstances would such behaviour be tolerated, often receiving punishments too cruel for a child of only six. After a while she stopped resisting and had reluctantly adapted to her life as a shinobi in training.

It had been the collapse of her village that had forced her into the life she was now living. She felt goosebumps rise up on her forearms, it had been a long time since she'd though about it, and it still made her uncomfortable to do so. It had been a small, isolated village and work had always been scarce. In the times of peace it had failed to prosper, the number of shinobi had been greatly decreased as the village could no longer afford to support them. She wondered where she'd be now if her family had been one of those cast out during this time. It didn't bare thinking about. The nearby villages had decided to take advantage of their significantly weakened establishment, after all, destroying their rival would mean more work for them. They had launched a surprise attack one night, no one had been expecting it, it was total destruction. It sent shivers down her spine just thinking back to that night, chaos was the only way she could thing to describe it. Chaos and destruction, the air had been filled with the pungent, metallic scent of blood. She'd battled hard alongside her fellow villagers, but they were only delaying the inevitable. They were vastly outnumbered, it had been that night that the notion of death finally become real to her. As a shinobi she had experienced death many times; but they had been faceless, unimportant people. Only this time they weren't. And witnessing those she loved dying right before her eyes, was a very different experience. Both her mother and father had been killed in the attack, and at the age of fifteen she had become an orphan, alone in the world.

Being a shinobi was the only way of life she knew, she had considered getting a job in a civilian town but realistically she knew such a future would bore her. She was a trained shinobi and it was the only way she knew how to live. After the fall of her village, something inside Amarante had snapped, the once kind girl inside her had slowly shrivelled away. She had barely noticed her former self slip away, as she slowly became more and more jaded, and one day she'd found that she even enjoyed inflicting pain. As time passed she grew to enjoy it more and more, it was the only way she knew how to feel any more. She wanted others to feel pain, just like she had.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by Kisame's distinct chuckle. A moment later his sickly blue, gilled face came into sight. However, it wasn't his startling looks that got her attention but the dainty body slumped over his shoulder.

"Who's that?" she demanded suspiciously as Itachi appeared from behind Kisame, whose bulk had been previously obstructing him from view.

"No welcome, Amarante-san?" Kisame asked with amusement, she met his eyes with a flinty glare. She knew how much the hulking shark-nin enjoyed winding others up and refused to rise to his teasing.

"It does not concern you Amarante-san." His words were soft but she still found offence in them.

"If she's going to be staying here, then I think it does affect me Uchiha-san" she bit back shortly.

"This little cherry blossom is a kunoichi from Konoha, she's bait for the Kyuubi boy" Kisame answered. He knew how temperamental Amarante could be and saw no reason to risk upsetting her. Whilst it was true that he found enjoyment in stirring situations up, even he was aware of how sensitive the dangerous kunoichi was when it can to his stoic partner.

"So, tell me why you brought back bait rather than the Kyuubi?" she questioned snidely.

Itachi looked at her with impassive eyes, "it was the only way" he said simply.

* * *

Tsunade chewed on her thumb nail, a bad habit she'd had for many years. She'd been trying to kick it since she had been about eight years old, but when things got stressful, she always reverted to her old ways. It felt as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders these days. When she'd eventually accepted the job as hokage she'd had utter conviction that she would be willing to give her life to protect the village. Whilst this still remained true, she she couldn't help wishing sometimes that she hadn't accepted the position. Being willing to sacrifice your life in order to protect your village was very different than having to worry about it day and night. There was nothing she wanted more than to protect everyone, but she was world weary and knew this was nothing more than an impossible dream.

When she had returned to Konoha there had been very few familiar faces. She'd been out of Konoha for many years and the majority of her generation were long gone, ninja didn't exactly have long life spans. It was a real achievement to live to a decent age, as she'd some how managed to do. She knew she probably owed this to the fact that she _had_ been out of the village for so long. She felt a great deal of love for the citizens of Konoha, they were her family now. She likened herself to a shepherd, and the shinobi of Konoha were her flock. She cast her thoughts to Team Kakashi, they had been gone for over a day now and if everything had gone well they should be returning very soon... if they'd all made it out alive and well.

She lifted her cup of sake to her lips and forced the thought to the back of her mind, there was no point in tempting fate. Tsunade had always been a big drinker but even for her it was unusual to be drinking so early in the day, she just needed to blur the edges a little. The weight of her decision to send Team Kakashi on such a mission had been pressing down on her since the moment she'd made it. Her instincts told her it was the right thing to do but she couldn't help but worry, Itachi and Kisame were two of the most dangerous men anyone could ever hope to meet. Had she just sent them into the lion's den? She knew there was no point in fretting, it wasn't exactly productive. They were strong, she just had to believe in them.

"Tsunade..."

* * *

A series of awkward glances shot across the wreckage of what had been the battle field, no one was entirely sure of what to do or say. Naruto's clenched fists shook at his sides. _Sakura was gone_. He wanted to cry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to rip those bastards to shreds.

"Naruto.." Kakashi said gently, lightly placing his hand on the younger shinobi's shoulder.

The blonde's rage vanished underneath his former teacher's touch, only to be replaced with complete despair a moment later. He crumbled to his knees as a torrent of tears broke free, _he couldn't be strong right now_. He just didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do. There was no way he could let anything happen to Sakura, she was the most important person in the world to him, without her everything he'd ever achieved seemed meaningless. He didn't want to live out his dreams if Sakura wasn't there by his side.

He'd come to accept that perhaps they would never be lovers, that she could never give him what he's always desired so strongly from her, but the two of them were still kindred spirits. Neither of them had been anything special, they weren't born geniuses like Sasuke, but together they had strived to become strong. Something that they had achieved, he was so proud of his best friend for coming as far as she had. He'd never had any problem with Sakura being weak and was always willing to protect her with his life but even so he had been thrilled to learn of her strength after returning to Konoha. There was no doubt in his mind that these days she could happily fend for herself, but this was different... This was Akatsuki.

He had to save her, this much was clear to him. But could he really let Akatsuki have the Kyuubi? If it had only been his own life in exchange, there would not have been a moment of hesitation on his behalf. It could never be that simple for inside him lay a monster, the most feared entity in the world. He was it's protector and he knew that this was a responsibility that could not be ignored. Such power should never fall into the wrong hands, protecting the malevolent monster was his burden.

The tears seemed unstoppable, the fire within him was gone. All he could feel was chaos.

"Naruto." Every pair of eyes turned to look at the man who had just spoken, Sasuke.

Sasuke fixed an impassive expression upon his face, determined not to betray his inner turmoil. He had thought that it was unlikely he would ever truly feel again, there had been too much misery and hatred in his life. Yet here he was, the great Uchiha avenger, overcome with emotion.

He found it difficult to identify all the things he was feeling, he could think of no words to describe it. He'd thought Itachi had taken everything from him long ago, that there was nothing he could do to hurt him any more. But he'd been wrong, his brother had found a way. He'd killed his really family and now he was destroying the people who had showed him unwavering, selfless love, even when he'd forsaken them. How could he be the relation of such a disgusting human being? Did his god forsaken brother not even have a morsel of humanity? Of course he didn't, it was foolish to ponder such things. There was one thing Sasuke, however, did not need to ponder. He _was_ going to kill Itachi, that much was certain.

* * *

Tsunade raised her golden eyes to look at her visitors. Three wrinkled, old crones now stood before her. _Just great. _She never enjoyed her encounters with the old council members of Konoha and right now she had more important things to be worrying about. She suspected they were here to scold her as they so often did. They weren't exactly fans of her wayward rule over the village. Tsunade strongly believed in following her instincts and no matter how many times they gave her a smack on the wrist for doing so she wasn't about to change.

"Homura-san, Koharu-san, Danzou-san" the busty Godaime greeted them curtly.

"There is a matter we need to discuss with you Tsunade"

"I see, I assume you are planning to tell me what about?"

A tense moment passed before finally the woman amongst the small group spoke. "Yes. As the Godaime you are obviously aware that the shinobi world is at crises point."

Tsunade frowned a little, "hai" she replied warily, unsure of where exactly they were going with this.

"We are on the brink of another great war. There is unrest between the Great Shinobi nations and allegiances are being made. Akatsuki are ready to make a move, it is a dangerous time for Konoha" the male adviser explained.

"We aren't sure you're the right person to lead us through such a time Tsunade" the old hag finished.

Her mouth dropped open. What were they suggesting? That she relinquish her position as Hokage? Like hell that was ever going to happen. She wasn't going to give in without a fight, she'd returned to her village after so much hurt because it had needed her. It _still_ needed her.

"Your way of handling delicate situations isn't appropriate, you lack caution. You don't think enough about consequences, if – when a war breaks out, we need more of a tactician."

Danzou's role in this suddenly became all too clear to her. She felt fury rising up in her, _how dare they_.

"So, you're planning on replacing me with that old cripple?" she replied with as much self control as she could muster.

"Hai."

The Slug Sannin brought her fist down on her desk, obliterating it. Broken shards of wood danced through the air before collapsing lifelessly to the floor.

"I think you have just proven their point, Tsunade-hime, such a temper is not a good quality." Danzou drawled. She bit down on her lip, as far as she was concerned they were lucky she hadn't taken down the whole tower. She looked up at them, a snarl on her beautiful face.

"At the end of the week we shall officially announce Danzou as the new Hokage."

With that all three of them left, leaving the soon to be former Hokage shaking in rage.

* * *

"What is it Sasuke?"

The defeat in his former team mate's voice was unmistakeable.

"My team and I shall accompany you on your mission."

He glanced over at Karin and Suigetsu, they had followed him this far he saw no reason why they wouldn't accompany him once more. He was their leader after all, they followed his orders. Karin gave a small nod and with that he turned his attention back to the broken, yellow haired ninja.

"No, you won't." Sasuke was a little taken aback by his response, it wasn't what he'd been expecting. His previous words had been a statement, not a suggestion. Did Naruto truly believe that he'd just let his brother go after all these years? The notion was ludicrous.

"If you come they will kill Sakura. Are you really that selfish asshole?" Naruto hissed at his former friend, relieved to have a vent for his anger.

"You spat on our friendship a long time ago Sasuke but I never held it against you, you almost killed me but I still considered you my brother. If you use this opportunity to finally get your brother ...and Sakura dies.. I-I'll rip you apart with my bare hands"

Kakashi realized this was his moment to step in. Both his former pupils had surpassed him and in reality if it came to blows he wouldn't be able to stop them this time like he had once before. Sasuke had no idea how close Sakura and Naruto had become, they were like two halves of a whole. He could only imagine how much this must be tearing Naruto up, losing his most precious and knowing it was because of him.

Kakashi's own heart ached, he held a great deal of love for both Sakura and Naruto. It was tearing him up that he hadn't been able to protect them this time.

"Only I can defeat Itachi."

The elite jounin looked up at the youngest Uchiha with a sigh. This much was true, only another with the sharingan could take down Itachi. He knew that he, himself wasn't a candidate for such a feat, despite his own possession of the sharingan. He lacked the Uchiha body needed to use his most deadly weapon efficiently.

"He's right Naruto..." Kakashi spoke soothingly to the young man on the cracked ground.

"I suggest we turn to Konoha – all of us together – and devise a plan."

There was a shocked silence between the remaining shinobi. Allowing three missing-nins into Konoha? The missing-nins looked just as uncomfortable at the suggestion, did he seriously expect them to waltz into one of the most powerful villages, it was a death sentence.

Kakashi had been expecting their apprehension. "I'm sure Tsunade-sama will be understanding. Especially as it concerns Sakura, no doubt she will be just as keen as we are to have her returned safely to the village."

Naruto finally rose to his feet, he silver haired sensei was right, he always was. He may have surpassed him in power but he still had a long way to go before surpassing him in wisdom. If Sasuke was the only one who could defeat his bastard brother than so be it. Anything to get Sakura back.

...

Tsunade was now well and truly drunk. _Fuck it_ she'd thought, this place was no longer her responsibiltiy, so why should she act responsible? Shizune was at her side, good old Shizune. Always so reliable, she would stand by her master through anything, she'd never have to worry with Shizune there to look after her. Maybe they could leave the village? She could return to her life of gambling and drink and die a peaceful death away from the battle field. Maybe being fired wasn't such a bad thing after all.

She slurped loudly as she downed another glass of sake, her head pleasantly fuzzy. She ignored her dark haired assistants fussing, her words going right over the Sannin's head. She'd had so much pressure on her for so long now and she was finally free. Ever since Jiraiya's death things had seemed to go from bad to worse but it wasn't her problem any more, they could all go to hell.

She let out a drunken chuckle.

The door burst open.

She squinted a little, everything had become a little blurry. She identified the young man in the orange jump suit and his comrades easily enough, but who were those other two with them? And since when had Sakura worn glasses?

"Tsunade-baa-chan!" the loud blonde spat out urgently.

"Sakura has been captured by Uchiha Itachi..."

"..what?"

* * *

Thanks for picking me up on my technical glitch! Didn't notice at all D:

A/N - Wow, I literally just checked my email for the first time in ages and was so shocked! I don't have all that many reviews and just assumed that no one was really reading the story. Well, imagine my shock when I had over a hundred messages telling me I'd either been as a favourite author or you guys had added Façade to your favourites/alerts! Gosh, I was so happy I thought I could cry haha. Thank you so much everyone, it really does mean a lot to me and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

On another note, I hope I haven't annoyed anyone by having so much of Amarante in this chapter when she's not even a real Naruto character. That's exactly why she's in it so much, you need to understand her because she's going to be playing an important part in the plot! Not just the ItaSaku strand but the greater plot. See if you can figure out where she's from... Also, I haven't read an ItaSaku fic yet that had a love rival and thought it could be interesting. I promise we won't take a major look in to her again. It's mostly going to be just Sakura from now on and her pals back in Konoha.

One last thing, I know you want more dialogue and from now on there is going to be a lot more. This chapter is what I consider to be the end of the introduction. The real story is all set up now and ready to go! Reviews are love, I was really unsure about this chapter so let me know what you think!


	5. Flux

_**beta-ed by ItachiXSakura Forever**_

_**Flux**_

Sakura awoke groggily from her genjutsu-induced sleep to find a familiar looking pair of azure eyes staring down at her. Naruto? Had she been rescued already? _No_, that wasn't right. These eyes were cold and unloving, nothing like the ones that belonged to her big hearted friend.

"Nice to see that you're awake, little princess."

The voice was oddly cold, just like the very same pair of eyes that were now staring down at her.

It was in that moment that the significance of the events of the previous day came flooding back to her. _She'd been captured to be used as bait for Naruto by Akatsuki_. She jolted upright in the hard single bed she had evidently been placed in by her Akatsuki captors, a little surprised they'd deemed to give her a bed, suddenly very on edge in this foreign territory.

Her eyes darted around the room, surveying her surroundings. It was pretty unspectacular, just a basic bedroom by the looks of things. However, she was grateful they hadn't opted to put her in a cell and was all too aware of the fact that her circumstances as a prisoner could be a lot worse. She noticed that she wasn't in any pain either. Apparently, Itachi had been true to his word and hadn't so much as laid a finger on her.

After the brief analysis of her situation, Sakura turned her attention back to the pair of eyes she'd awoken to.

"Who the fuck are you?"

It was rude, and she knew that she was probably pushing her luck, but at this moment, she couldn't have cared less. As far as she was concerned, she more than had the right to be angry at her current predicament, and she'd never been one for keeping her temper in check.

Sakura didn't recognise the woman who sat beside her, was she a new member of Akatsuki? She noticed that she wasn't wearing the Akatsuki cloak that all the members usually wore, but then again, they were indoors, and it seemed silly to assume that they wore the heavy cloaks constantly. Sakura also noticed that the woman's feet were kicked up on her bed casually. Whoever she was, Sakura was determined to get answers, and this bitch better damn well give them to her.

"My, my, you're a feisty little thing, aren't you?" the woman on the chair stated, chuckling. Long, slender fingers, reached out, and gently stroked Sakura's face in what could only be described as a caress. Her action totally threw the Konoha kunoichi—being stroked was the last thing she'd expected from an S-Class criminal.

"..And _so_ pretty, too.." The woman seemed to be speaking more to herself than to Sakura.

Sakura stared at her, dumbfounded. For the first time since she had first seen her, she took a proper look at the unidentified woman—she was _beautiful_. She was clearly a kunoichi, and a powerful one at that; her chakra hung heavily in the small room. She was also breathtakingly beautiful, and probably only a couple of years older than Sakura. Her eyes were captivating, just like Naruto's, and she couldn't help notice again how eerily similar the two sets were.

Long, fiery red hair hung down to her lower back, spilling over her shoulders. Her bone structure was delicate and feminine, complimented by glowing peachy skin. Her lips were full and bee-stung, a perfect seductress pout. She lifted her other hand and Sakura stared at it in mortification. It had somehow escaped her attention until now, but the woman's entire left arm was grossly disfigured. She'd clearly suffered from at least third degree burns and had evidently never received proper medical attention for it. Even with proper treatment Sakura was aware of how awful severe burns could look, but this was just... horrific.

She quickly tore her eyes away, feeling cruel for such an obvious display of horror.

"It's alright. You aren't the first to stare."

Sakura met the woman's steady gaze, mortified that she'd been caught in the act. Yet she couldn't help but wonder just how it had happened. If this woman was capable of being an member of Akatsuki, then she was definitely a shinobi to be reckoned with, and she knew there weren't many out there capable of inflicting such damage on someone of her caliber. It seemed more likely to Sakura that the burns had been obtained in some sort of accident... but a ninja could easily escape a fire. The mystery went unsolved as the woman started to speak again, stealing Sakura's attention.

"And to answer your earlier question, my name is Amarante. I just thought I'd wait for you to wake up and have a little chat with you."

"You weren't in the data book we have on Akatsuki," Sakura replied calmly, considering the best way to coax information out of the woman beside her.

"Oh, so Konoha has a data book on us, do they? Perhaps you could hazard a guess at why I might not be in it?"

Sakura ground her teeth together, frustrated at both the fact she'd given away that Konoha knew more about Akatsuki than they liked to let on, but more so that she was clearly being patronized.

"Well, my guess is that it was compiled before you became a member? Meaning that you only joined after the Sannin Orochimaru's death..."

The reason why was obvious once she dedicated some thought to it. Orochimaru had once been a member of their organization and definitely knew all of the original members. However, it had been more than two years since his death and Akatsuki had obviously drafted in new members to replace the old.

"You hit the nail on the head, little girl. Now that I've cleared that up for you, there are some things I need to lay down for you - "

"Amarante-san."

Itachi's soft voice cut off the female mid sentence. The way her eyes widened as he spoke didn't escape Sakura's attention. Neither of them had noticed his presence at all, which Sakura found some what alarming. How was he so god damned good? She made a mental note to be more on guard from now on— she couldn't afford to make a mistake in this lions' den.

"What are you doing in here?" His voice was calm, but authoritative.

The red headed girl quickly collected herself.

"Oh, just laying down some ground rules Itachi-san. That's not a crime, is it?"

"We have already discussed this. Her presence shall affect you in no way, therefore, you shall not bother her again. You are excused." His word was final.

The woman hesitated, and for a moment, Sakura wondered if she was going to protest. She definitely didn't appear happy with the stoic Uchiha's command. Eventually, she stood, being deliberately slow with her actions and silently exited the room without so much as a backwards glance. It didn't take a genius to realize that there was definitely something going on between the two Akatsuki, and Sakura found herself wondering whether or not the two had some sort of history together.

She mentally scolded herself. This was getting to be ridiculous! She needed to focus on the situation at hand rather than trying to unravel the mysteries of their personal lives, no matter how interesting they might be.

After the unwelcome guest had made an exit, Itachi turned his attentions to Sakura.

"Are you alright?"

It was a simple question, but one she had not been expecting to come out of Itachi's mouth. He didn't exactly come across as the caring type.

"What do you care?" she retorted.

The whole situation was so frustrating that she didn't even bother to mind her mouth, a mistake she was sure not many would make with the Uchiha killer. His face remained expressionless as if he seemed to be considering the question.

"I promised you would not be hurt. I imagine this experience is unpleasant enough without having to make your stay any more uncomfortable," he finally replied after a thoughtful pause.

Sakura was again taken aback— these Akatsuki were turning out to be quite surprising characters. She _never_ would have thought that someone who'd had the heart to slaughter their whole family would turn out to be a man of his word. Yes, Itachi Uchiha was turning out to be _quite_ intriguing, indeed. All the while, she'd been careful not to look into his eyes. It was no secret that it was there that his most dangerous powers lay, but now she felt a strange, almost magnetic pull— she _wanted_ to look him in the eye. To take a good look at this man.

Swallowing her fear, she did just that. She was certain that for a moment, a flicker of surprise flashed in the older Uchiha's eyes, surprised that she would dare to do what most others wouldn't. They were incredibly beautiful— she couldn't help but admire the deep crimson color and the three elegant tomoe which framed the pupil, knowing that not many would ever have had the chance to appreciate them. However, she'd seen the sharingan many times, and it wasn't really the unusual colouring that had captivated her.

No, it was the exceptionally long, curly eyelashes that framed his eyes that made them so captivating. It was actually rather feminine, but combined with the strong, aristocratic features that made up the rest of his face, it only added to his handsomeness. And good god was he handsome— even the two deep- set lines that ran down his cheeks didn't detract from it. If anything, she found that they added character to his face, which perhaps would have been a little too perfect without them.

With mortification, she realized that she'd been staring at him for much too long. She seemed to be making a habit of doing that.

"Yes, I'm alright. Thank you for providing me with a bed... I appreciate it."

She struggled to thank him; she had been somewhat thrown by his politeness, but as far as she was concerned, he was _still_ a cold-hearted killer. He was clearly insane, maybe even bi-polar she decided, and she had every intention of getting out of this alive. For now she would remain civil to him— who knew when he would snap? Over the years, her own hot-headedness had cooled down, and she knew she had to act in a way which was best for survival and not let her temper get the better of her. She wouldn't provoke him, and hopefully, by the end of this, she would walk away alive with Naruto by her side.

He gave a curt nod in response to her words.

"Are you hungry?"

"Hai."

"I shall bring you some food shortly. But I must warn you: it is best that you do not wonder around for now and stay in here. Amarante and her partner leave for a mission at dawn. Once they are gone, you may freely move around the premises."

With that said, he left the room, leaving Sakura to feel bemused by the encounter. This definitely was _not_ what she had been expecting of the infamous Akatsuki; she felt more like a guest than a prisoner. She rolled off the bed to investigate the rest of her humble room. There was a small window, but unfortunately, it was barred. Whilst this would prove no problem for her phenomenal strength, she knew that it wasn't nearly so simple. There was absolutely no way that she'd be able to make a silent escape if she had to rip metal bars off the wall, and it would only be moments before she was recaptured, and she somehow doubted they would remain so civil if she caused them the trouble of attempting an escape.

It took her two steps to make it to the plain wooden desk and the wobbly stool tucked underneath it. There was a small pile of blank paper along with some ink and a pen. By this point, it had become clear to her that her room wasn't going to provide much in ways of entertainment. She flopped back onto the bed and stared at the cracked ceiling absentmindedly, wondering how Naruto was coping and what exactly her team was planning to get themselves out of this one.

--

"...What?"

Tsunade was rather drunk and was sure she hadn't heard that right— Sakura was right there, after all. Just with... red hair and glasses? She squinted a little harder before it finally dawned on her that this girl was most certainly not her prized pupil.

"Who the hell are you?" She slurred accusingly "You're not Sakura!"

Sasuke noted with amusement the horror written all over Karin's face— it wasn't every day you got shouted out by one of the Legendary Sannin. The vague amusement, however, was short lived, and quickly replaced with irritation that the woman who was supposed to heal them and formulate a plan was quite clearly inebriated.

"What the hell is wrong with you Tsunade-baachan?! Are you drunk? How could you be drunk at a time like this!?"

Shizune cringed at his words— Naruto never had had any tact.

"Tsunade-sama was relinquished of her post as Hokage today," she told the group of people standing before them meekly.

"Yeah, that's right. No more Godaime-sama from now on. I'll be just regular old Baa-chan." Her words were so resentful, the reason for her inebriation suddenly becoming clear to all present.

"What? That makes no sense. Who else would be Hokage?" Kakashi asked the obvious question; it was always assumed that either he or Naruto would become the next Hokage, but it wasn't either of them.

"Danzou," Tsunade spat out.

"Shizune, will you _please_ burn off the alcohol in the Fifth's system? We need her able to function."

Someone needed to take control of the situation, and Kakashi quickly realized that duty had fallen to him, and right now, the most urgent matter was having the Fifth with a clear head.

Shizune promptly set to work, green chakra glowing around her hands. A few moments later, Tsunade's slumped form straightened up, her embarrassment clear.

"Forgive me, it's been a hard day," she told them wearily. "Please fill me in on what happened."

Kakashi relayed the details of the mission to his superior carefully, making sure not to miss out anything. It was vital that the situation be analysed carefully; he was, after all, determined not to fail his pupil. He would protect her life with everything he had.

The Godaime's eyes swelled with tears. Sakura was like a daughter to her. She couldn't believe that she was in the hands of Akatsuki! She also couldn't believe she had four missing-nin just standing in her office. She placed her head into her hands, feeling completely defeated.

A long while passed and no one dared speak— the woman before them looked so fragile; they found it be alarming that someone with such a fiery character had become down so quickly. Naruto knew exactly how she felt, and even in his desperation to help Sakura, he felt as if for once he should treat Tsunade with respect; she needed it right now more than ever.

He made his way across the room to her, gently putting his hand on her shaking shoulders, exactly as Kakashi had done to him. He wasn't going to let anyone down! He was going to save Sakura and be damned if he let those bastard Akatsuki's get the Kyuubi. It was strange, but having Sasuke there gave him hope. He knew that togethe, as a team, that they could pull this off.

"Don't worry. I'll bring Sakura back, Baa-chan! You trusted me before, and you'll just have to trust me again!" he told her brightly.

"Naruto... I don't know if I can let you do that," Tsunade began hesitantly. "I do believe in you, but I know how dangerous Itachi is. He is the number one most wanted person by Konoha, and almost killed Orochimaru when he was eleven years old."

Sasuke felt as if he'd been slapped. Itachi had almost killed Orochimaru when he was _eleven _years old? That was unbelievable, even for Itach! It was even before Itachi had slaughtered their whole family in cold blood.

"Excuse me? I think you must have your facts mixed up! Itachi did not almost kill Orochimaru when he was eleven. That was before he left Konoha..."

Tsunade let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's true, Jiraiya spent many years tracking Orochimaru after he defected from the village. That is who we initially knew was in on Akatsuki's existence. Orochimaru left the organization seven years prior to the Sound's invasion, according to Jiraiya's sources; this was prompted by his loss to Itachi when he attempted to steal his body."

"Itachi was already a member of Akatsuki?" None of this made sense. Was this the true reason behind his brother's massacre of the clan?

"It would appear that way. As I was saying, Itachi is a supremely dangerous individual whose abilities currently far outweigh any of Konoha's nin. This is not to mention that his partner Kisame Hoshigaki will also be present, who in himself, is a major threat. Who knows how many others will be there?"

Naruto looked as if he was going to interrupt, and she held up a hand to silence him.

"You know how much I love Sakura. I consider her to be my own daughter, but in my position as Hokage, I cannot weigh her life against the village. It's far too dangerous Naruto, and I'm not sure that even you can pull it off this time."

"But you aren't Hokage any more!" he exclaimed with desperation. "And can't we fake a trade? I'll pretend to give myself to them and then we'll fight. Sasuke will be there and he can fight Itachi, and me, Sai, Captain Yamato and Kakashi-sensei, are more than enough to take on that fish freak!"

"Actually, it will be me who takes out Kisame-san. I have my sights set on the Samehada, that's why I've come here in the first place" Suigetsu piped in.

"No. You and Karin aren't coming," Sasuke replied back clearly. He didn't need these two any more— at least, not for now.

"What? That's the whole reason I came in the first place!" the former Mist-nin protested angrily, raising his hands in frustration.

"Yes, I am aware of that. That is why you aren't coming. I don't want your own selfish reasons getting in the way of my objective. I no longer require your abilities."

Karin flinched at his harsh words. They'd come _so_ very far with him, stuck by him for years, and now they were just being cut loose. She hated to admit it, but they felt like a small family now. Juugo had since left to spend his days where he was calmest and happiest: in nature. He never wanted to fight again, and Sasuke had respected his decision. She felt a little hurt that they were being disposed of now that they were no longer useful— she'd known that when they first formed as Hebi, that that's all that they were: tools. She thought that over the past three years that maybe they'd grown into friends, but she guessed she was wrong. Sasuke had cut off his previous team in order to achieve his goals, so why wouldn't he do the same to them?

"Let's leave, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu turned to her. They had a stormy relationship with one another, but over time, they'd begrudgingly found a certain respect for one another. He wanted to stay and fight his cause, but he knew deep down inside, that there was no point. Sasuke's word was law, and he was far stronger than either of them, after all. He might as well leave with Karin, especially if he was going to be in Konoha territory.

"Man, you suck, Sasuke. You better not come crying to us when you get your ass kicked."

Karin shot Sasuke a final, remorseful look. He met it with his own steady gaze. It was harder for him than he was letting on, but he knew it was the right thing to do. They were only with him for their own selfish reasons, and the last thing he wanted was for them to endanger the success of the mission. He'd waited so long for this, and now Sakura was at stake too. There was no way he could fail.

Tsunade felt sorry for the younger Uchiha's cold dismissal of his subordinates, and felt for them, especially the girl, who quite clearly had a thing for the broody male.

"You won't be followed if you leave now," she told them with as much authority as she could muster in her current state. They gave a nod of appreciation before finally walking out of Sasuke's life. They'd probably never meet again, and even he felt a small twinge of sadness at the prospect.

"Now onto more important matters," the blonde, soon to be former Hokage, continued. "You said you have a week to make your decision. I shall no longer be Hokage by that time, and Danzou will definitely not allow such a mission; he wanted to keep Naruto in the village permanently. We must decide on a plan of action urgently."

"I don't have to heed your command, and I shall be going anyway," Sasuke told her arrogantly.

She cocked her eyebrow in amusement

"Oh yes, you and _whom_? In case you did not remember, you dismissed your team mere minutes ago. Even if you go after them, I doubt your actions will be great for team morale, not to mention that you are considered a missing-nin. I should have you arrested, and, to be quite frank, you're lucky that I'm not. If you do not act in a way that I see fit, then I shall not hesitate to do so. You may be used to getting your way Sasuke, but around here, you don't; you shall treat me with the respect I deserve." _There, that better put that cocky brat in his place_.

Naruto turned his head to look at this young man that he still considered to be his brother; he looked truly startled, as if he hadn't realized his situation until now. Tsunade was right— he _was_ used to getting his own way. It was probably a shock to the system to have to play by somebody else's rules for once. Baa-chan was right; they had to do something fast before Danzou took over.

"Changed your mind then, Baa-chan? Are you going to let us go after Sakura-chan or not?"

The older female bit down on her lip a little, trying to think this through logically. Her head still felt a little fuzzy, even _if_ the majority of the alcohol had been now burnt off. It sure had been a rough day. She still couldn't believe this had happened to her poor Sakura. She was doing her best to hold back her emotions, and felt she'd done very well in doing so thus far. She thought that she'd been truly broken when Jiraiya had died two years ago. The irony of it was that she'd been finally willing to accept him, for them to be at long last together, but she was always so foolish, wasting her opportunities for happiness.

She'd assumed that all her remaining precious people such as Shizune, Sakura, and Naruto would all outlive her; after all, she was pressing on. Life had been hard on her the last few years, and she'd become increasingly weary of life. The effects of grief, age, and stress, took their toll on her heavily, and now, all she could do was sit and wonder how her beloved pupil was doing.

Could she really endanger the lives of many for the life of someone precious to her? It was such a hard decision. Should she be selfish, or not risk it? Naruto was right— she _did_ believe in him with all her heart. She also trusted Kakashi and the others greatly. She dreaded to think what those evil people could be doing to her. She blamed herself for this entirely; she should never have sent them on such a ridiculous mission. Did Sakura hate her for doing so?

"Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Yamato and Sasuke, you shall all under the command of the Godaime Hokage. Embark on the mission to retrieve Sakura Haruno!"

Naruto's eyes lit up as the words tumbled out of her mouth. If anything were to happen to the village as a result of this mission, she would fight with her life to protect it, but for now, she had to protect her student. She wasn't going to let another person close to her heart die.

The door to the office creaked open slowly; the dull thumps of a cane hitting the floor filled the room, which had become silent at the sight of the old cripple.

"Danzou-san, this isn't your office yet. I would appreciate it if you at least had the courtesy to knock." She sniped at him venomously, not appreciating his appearance at all.

"What? This old relic is going to be the new Hokage?! That's ridiculous!" Naruto exclaimed, eyeing up the old cripple. He walked with a cane and half his face was bandaged up; how the _hell_ was he going to fight to protect the village?"

"Mind your mouth," Kakashi warned Naruto instantly. Danzou was not a man to be crossed. Appearances could be deceiving.

"I have come to arrest Sasuke Uchiha."

--

A/N - Yay! I finally have the beta-ed version of this so thankyou very much to the amazing ItachiXSakura Forever. Make sure to go check her out guys! After quite a long hiatus I'm back and I'm half way through writing the newest chapter entitled "Blood On Our Hands" We're going to have some of our first ItaSaku moments as well as some revelations!

Much love to everyone,

Vodkalust.


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